


Thrilled by the still of your hand.

by caitlesshea



Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M, Meddling, Michael Guerin/Maria DeLuca past, Original Female Character - Freeform, Sunday Dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-11
Updated: 2019-08-11
Packaged: 2020-08-19 05:33:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20204542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/caitlesshea/pseuds/caitlesshea
Summary: Michael gets a visit from Alex’s mother. She meddles.





	Thrilled by the still of your hand.

**Author's Note:**

> I really just want Michael to have some adults in his life that don't suck. I don't know if the fandom has a name for Alex's mom, so I used Willow. 
> 
> This was originally shorter, but @allthehearteyes wanted the dinner, and has also asked for more Malex, so we'll see, I might come back to this. 
> 
> Thanks to @allthehearteyes & @bestillmyslashyheart as always!
> 
> Title from "No Plan" by Hozier.

Michael’s sitting in a booth at the Wild Pony seriously considering getting another beer when one is dropped in front of him unceremoniously. He pulls his head up from the back of the booth and startles at the surprise. He jumps up immediately.

“Willow!” Michael says happily as he hugs her. She returns the hug easily.

“My boy.” Willow says quietly.

Michael pulls away from her and gestures for her to sit as he sits back down.

“Is everything okay? Is Alex okay? What are you doing here?” Michael fires off before she can finish getting situated. She smiles fondly at him.

“Alex is fine. I came to visit, and was on my way back to the Reservation when I figured I would come find you and say hello.” Willow raises an eyebrow at him and it’s so much like Alex that Michael can’t help but smile.

“And you knew I’d be here?”

“He doesn’t tell me much, but I am his mother. It wasn’t hard to figure out where you’d be.” Willow says as she not so subtlety side eyes the bar. 

“That’s over with.” Michael says as he gestures to where he’s sure Maria is staring at their table. 

“And yet, you and Alex haven’t worked anything out.”

“He wants space.” Michael  _ doesn’t  _ pout.  _ He doesn’t.  _ He knows that he doesn’t have any room to talk, when he’s the one who asked Alex for space months ago when he was trying and failing to date Maria. 

She raises her eyebrow at him again. “Alex wouldn’t want me to meddle.”

“But you’re going to do it anyway?” Michael says cheekily.

“I just want to know what happened.” 

Michael sighs and finally takes a swig of his beer. He debates not saying anything to her, but he knows that Alex has filled her in on as much of Project Shephard as he could when he was looking for information. 

“It was just all too much.” Michael says quietly as he looks at her. “After Caulfield…” He trails off wondering if Alex has had a chance to fill her in on the latest information yet.

“Ah yes. Lovely monstrosity my third son and ex-husband created there.” 

He nods and looks down at the table. He feels her hands settle over his, as she lightly brushes her fingers over his left hand while she speaks softly. 

“You don’t blame me for leaving my four sons with that monster so why do you blame Alex for things he didn’t do?”

He jerks his head up and looks at her. He’s almost shocked that she said that.  _ Almost _ . And then he remembers where Alex gets it from. Thoroughly chastised, he apologizes. 

“I didn’t mean to. I never really felt that way. I just didn’t know what to do. It was all so much. I _ still _ don’t know what to do.” 

“Maybe you should try explaining that to him, hmm? He can’t stay locked away in that bunker alone forever, no matter how hard he tries. You two need each other.”

“I know. I just don’t know how to make it better.”

“Be consistent. He’ll get annoyed but eventually he’ll cave and let you in.” She smirks at her pretty accurate portrayal of Alex.

“I miss him.” 

“He misses you, too.” Michael looks up at that and she smiles. 

“He said that?” 

“Not in so many words.” She laughs. “But he keeps wearing these stretched out flannels that I know don’t belong to him.”

Michael smiles and shakes his head. He didn’t realize how much he had missed her until she was here. Her relationship with Alex is still strained, but when Alex brought Michael to meet her years ago they had bonded fast, much to Alex’s amusement. She’s the only parental figure that has ever taken any interest in his life. Willow and Michael getting along had helped Alex heal and forgive her. 

She gets up to leave and he misses the contact already.

“Willow…”

“I’ll see you at the house for dinner on Sunday. I’m making your favorite.” And then she leans over the booth and kisses his cheek and leaves before he even has a chance to process what just happened. 

He’s startled out of his stupor when Maria comes by.

“Was that Alex’s mom?”

Michael nods and picks up his beer waiting for Maria to ask her questions.

“How do you know her?”

He rolls his head against the back of the booth and faces Maria. “Well I dated her son for eight and a half years. I was bound to meet her eventually.” 

Maria opens her mouth and closes it a few times and then hits him with a towel.

“Ow. What was that for?” Michael says as he grabs the towel from her.

“You’re an idiot.”

“Gee. Thank you DeLuca.”

“You need to fix this. We hurt Alex and you have to fix it because I can’t.”

“Yeah. I know, okay. I’ll see him Sunday at dinner.” Michael’s being presumptuous but he can’t imagine Willow inviting him over without Alex being there. 

“Good.” Maria turns to walk away. “By the way, you owe me for that beer. She said it was on your tab.”

Michael laughs. Typical. “Yeah yeah. Here’s your money.” He walks to the bar and throws down a twenty.

“Where are you going?” Maria asks as she pockets the cash.

“To do laundry.” Willow will  _ not _ let him in the house in his typical work clothes. Plus, he wants to make an effort for Alex. Maria rolls her eyes at him as he goes to leave. When he gets outside he notices Willow’s car is still there and she’s leaning against the door.

“I thought you left.” He says as he approaches her. 

“I was going to, but I wanted to say thank you.”

“For what?”

“For being there for Alex. When he was injured. And for calling me.”

“Willow.” He chokes out as she hugs him and he hugs her back. 

“He would’ve never called me, but thank you for thinking of me.”

“I couldn’t  _ not _ call you.” Michael whispers as he hugs her tighter. 

“I know, sweet boy. We’re family.” 

**~~~**

Sunday comes all too quickly and suddenly Michael is standing in front of Willow’s front door with flowers and her favorite wine in his hands, courtesy of Isobel. He eyes Alex’s Jeep and is somewhat pleased that he called Willow’s hidden agenda out from the beginning.

Michael knocks and waits for her to answer. He can hear Alex ask who’s at the door from outside and Willow shushing him.

“Hi.” Michael says as he holds out the wine and flowers. Willow smiles at him and takes the gifts as she pulls him into a hug.

“Hi. Isobel did well.” Willow chuckles and Michael smiles. At their laughter, he can see Alex come out of the kitchen to poke his head in the hallway.

“Hi.” Michael says quietly.

“Guerin.” Alex says in the clipped off tone he’s been using with Michael since that awful morning that Michael left him at the Airstream. “Thought you said it was just us for dinner, Mom?”

“I lied.” Willow smiles as she puts the flowers in water. “Set another place at the table, will you?” 

Alex and Michael both do what she says, with Alex grabbing the silverware and Michael grabbing the plates. A practiced move they’ve done more than once while here. 

“She ambushed me at the Wild Pony the other day. I couldn’t say ‘no’.” Michael whispers to Alex once they get into the dining room. Alex quirks a small smile at that and Michael counts it as a win. 

When they finally sit down to eat, Michael practically groans at the taste of his food. Willow laughs and Alex looks vaguely annoyed.

“What? Sorry, Alex. Yours is great, but your mom’s is better.” Michael says around another mouthful. Alex shakes his head and continues eating. Michael lets the small talk wash over him, not used to eating with other people. 

“So, boys. I asked you to come here for another reason other than meddling in your life.” Willow says as they all finish eating.

“Mom.” Alex groans and she tsks at him. 

“We’re listening.” Michael says and glares at Alex who returns his glare tenfold. 

“I’ve updated my will, and I have decided to leave the house to both of you.” Willow says to interrupt Michael and Alex’s silent argument.

“What?!”

“Mom!”

“Willow!”

“I don’t understand.”

“You can’t. I’m not…” 

They fire off their indignation at the idea that she could do this and she just quirks that irritating eyebrow and smiles at them.

“Are you done?”

They both settle and nod, like air being let out of a balloon. 

“I take it that you, Alex, will not want to move here and live here?” Alex nods at her question. “And since Michael can’t, you will both sell this place when the time comes, and split the profits. The house is paid off, so it will all be yours. You can use the money for whatever you want.” 

“Willow. I can’t…”

“You can and you will. You are more of a son to me than my other three boys, and I do not want them to have this.” Willow says sternly and Michael can hear Alex suck in a breath. 

“Alex, you can fix up the cabin like you want. I’m sure Michael can do the work.” Willow chuckles like she finds herself funny. Alex must realize that fighting her on this is futile so he nods and agrees. Michael has no doubt in his mind that when the time comes he’ll sign over his portion to Alex, but Willow doesn’t need to know that. 

“Wonderful, so how about desert?!” Willow claps her hands and stands to go towards the kitchen.

“Alex...I…” Michael doesn’t know what he wants to say but he feels like this is all his fault. 

“It’s okay Guerin.” Alex says as he smiles and reaches across the table to grab Michael’s left hand and squeezes it. “We’re family.”

  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Come find me on Tumblr - same username!


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